Just Like Springsteen

Well first of all my nomination for surprise of the week -

Our best mates lent us some of their recent CDs.  We always swap music.  Although we have similar tastes we sometimes throw each other a curve ball.

So I am standing in the kitchen chopping onions, listening to Lady Antebellum and … well here you are




I love the song but if you really can’t bear to hear it through to the end the surprise is only 27 seconds in.  No idea why ‘black pearl buttons’ by the way.

Now those of you who know me or have paid attention in past weeks will know I have a guilty pleasure - Country Music.  I try to keep it reasonably quiet but perhaps 2011 is the year to come fully out of the closet and admit it.  I LOVE country music - there I’ve said it.  It makes me smile, makes me want to dance and sing along.  Some people might prefer to belt out a big power ballad and believe me I’m not at all averse to that- but me - when I hear a good rockin’ country tune I can’t help but join in ya’all.

So those rumours that come out from time to time suggesting Bruce might do a country album … well bring it on Mr Springsteen - you look good in a cowboy hat!


I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before but my other great love is Northern Soul.  Ask me to sit and listen to the music I liked when I was 18 and, for the most part, I would be horrified but Northern Soul has remained a favourite.  I can actually only name a few tracks but I usually know a Northern Soul tune as soon as I hear it - it’s something intangible - sort of the feel of the track rather than anything specific.

This instinct often fails if the song is a popular track - more mainstream.  For instance ‘There’s A Ghost In My House’ - R Dean Taylor and The Chiffons ‘Sweet Talking Guy’ both appear on one of my Northern Soul compilations but to me they are just pop songs - pop songs I love admittedly but I wouldn’t have described them as Northern Soul.

This holds for ‘(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher’ which pops up on Bruce’s set lists from time to time.  I might be misjudging him but I assume that, like me, he doesn’t recognise this as (specifically) a Northern Soul track.  In fact as Northern is a peculiarly British thing perhaps he may not even be aware of it.

Anyway in an effort to find any other connection I did a Google search - Bruce Springsteen and Northern soul - ’Higher and Higher’ came up as did this

Well it's Light of Day this week. So are we looking forward to an appearance from our man?  More about this next week.  Mike and I did consider going - but only briefly.  It's very expensive and we are hoping for some other gigs to spend our money on before the end of 2011.

And to round off this week in the so you think you’re a proper fan category I nominate Rachael Barratt -

Rachael ‘phoned Radio 2 to tell the listeners that her New Year's resolution is to go and see Daniel O’Donnell as many times as possible in 2011.  He is apparently doing less touring so she will have to go some to beat last year's total.  In 2010 she saw Daniel 60 - yes 60 - times!  Puts my Bruce gigs to shame. I’m tempted to say she’s nuts but actually she’s not so different to us is she?  Given the opportunity … ??

See you next week!